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<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Hysterically
funny GOD OF CARNAGE at Dobama</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">(</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Palatino">Member, American
Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Whats more
ridiculous, two tween boys having a fight or their parents trying to deal with
the conflict?<span style> </span></span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The answer to
that question can be found at Dobama Theatre where Yasmina Rezas GOD OF
CARNAGE is now on stage.<span style> </span>Its a comedy
whose New York production was dubbed a hysterical night of name-calling,
tantrums and tears.</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The
name-calling tantrums are the actions of the tweens in a playground tiff, <span style> </span>right?<span style> </span>Wrong!<span style> </span>Its
their parents trying to deal rationally with Benjamin having knocked out two
of Henrys teeth with a twig.<span style>
</span>Before the meeting is over, there is a rolling on the floor hair pulling
battle, taunting, a smart phone destroyed by a dunking in a vase of tulips, vomiting,
some more vomiting, alcoholic consumption, constantly changing alliances, and insults
about everything from the pastry being served to the belief systems of the
participants.<span style> </span>The topics of
misogyny, racial prejudice, political attitudes, drug company misdeeds, and
homophobia all rear their ugly heads.<span style>
</span>Rationality is replaced by riot!</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Alan,
Benjamins father, never gets off his cell phone, sharing intimate legal
secrets about one of his drug clients questionable compounds.<span style> </span>Annette, his wife, who is a management
expert tries to be above the fray.<span style>
</span>Well, at least at the start.<span style>
</span>Michael, Henrys dad, who has just destroyed the familys pet gerbil,
enjoys talking about his bad boy days as a member of a suburban gang.<span style> </span>Veronica, the oh-so offended,
moralistic mother of the boy with the missing teeth, is a pseudo-intellect who
fawns over art volumes while telling about her project of writing a book about the
conflicts in Darfur.<span style> </span>(She has
never been to Darfur.)<span style> </span>To add to
the goings on, the phone keeps ringing with cries of distress from Michaels
Florida living senior citizen mother with knee problems.</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The play,
which opened in London in 2008, and moved to New York the next year, was originally
written in French.<span style> </span>Guess America
isnt the only place with adults who act more childish than their children. </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The Broadway
production starred Jeff Daniels, James Gandolfini, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay
Harden.<span style> </span>All were nominated for
Tony Awards.<span style> </span>The production
received the Tony for Best New Play. </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The script
was the source for the 2011 movie CARNAGE, which was directed by Roman Polanski
and starred Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Christopher Waltz and Kate Winslet.</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Dobamas
production of GOD OF CARNAGE, under the adept direction of Joel Hammer, is a
total delight.<span style> </span>The show is well
paced, the many laugh lines are cued for the right responses, and the authors
intent is well developed.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The cast is
universally strong.<span style> </span>Tracee
Patterson is nothing short of perfect as Veronica.<span style> </span>She embraces both the comedy and farce aspects of the
role.<span style> </span>Derdriu Rings Annette
starts out controlled and competently builds into a vomiting, opinionated
hellcat.<span style> </span>Scott Miller effectively forms
Alan, the smart phone obsessed lawyer, into an obnoxious bore.<span style> </span>Michael Novak is both funny and pathetic
as the gerbil destroying dad.<span style> </span>The
quartet plays well off each other and creates lots of laughs with good timing
and farcical abandonment. </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Laura
Carlsons scenic design makes for a perfect visual of an upper middle class suburban
living room.</span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><i style><span style="font-family:Palatino">CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: <span style> </span>GOD OF CARNAGE is a well written
comedy that evokes constant laughter.<span style>
</span>It gets a top-notch production at Dobama.<span style> </span>If you want an evening of totally delightful entertainment, to
experience rationality being replaced by riot, this is a must go-see!</span></i></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">GOD OF
CARNAGE runs through May 13 <span style> </span>at
Dobama.<span style> </span>Call 216-932-3396 or
<a href="http://www.dobama.org">www.dobama.org</a> for tickets.</span></p><p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"><br></span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"><b> </b><br></span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(102,0,204)" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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